


A Wolf Among Wizards

by savya398



Series: Incomplete HP Alternate Parents [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Parents, Harry Potter is Sirius Black's Child, Harry Potter is a Black, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Werewolf Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-12 18:57:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17473139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savya398/pseuds/savya398
Summary: Remus Lupin made a choice. It was the most difficult decision he has ever had to make but he believed he was doing the right thing, the best thing. Thirteen years later when Dumbledore asks him to take the Defense position he comes to realize just how wrong he was.





	1. Chapter 1

“Are you sure about this?” the young redheaded woman questioned, for what must have been the fiftieth time that night.

Her emerald green eyes darted between the two young men sitting on the loveseat across from her. One had pale brown hair and a scarred face, and the other had jaw length black hair, the edge of a black tattoo could be seen peeking out of the collar of his shirt.

“We know the two of you have been trying, and we just thought we’d offer,” the scarred young man stated timidly.

The red haired young woman glanced sideways at her husband.

Her husband sent her a small smile and squeezed her hand in support. “It’s my fault, I don’t think I can. You all know my parents had a hard time having me.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” the red haired young woman murmured.

“I know,” her husband muttered.

“You’ll make great parents,” the scarred young man broke in, and glanced to his companion on the loveseat. “And we were even able to get a vial of the Familia Sanguini. Right?”

“Yeah,” the black haired young man mumbled, speaking up for the first time since their arrival. He had maintained a slumped and morose position for most of the night. 

“All right, if you’re sure about this then we’d love to. Thank you both so much for this gift,” tears formed in the redheaded young woman’s eyes.

“We won’t let you down,” her husband smiled.

They spoke for a little longer to figure out the details before the two young men said their goodbyes. They left the home of the young couple behind.

“I’m glad they agreed,” the scarred young man whispered to the black haired young man, appearing as if he was trying to convince himself.

“Right, yeah,” the black haired young man scuffed the ground with one of his big black boots.

“Sirius, we talked about this. You agreed. This is for the best,” there was a touch of pleading in the scarred young man’s voice.

The black haired young man, Sirius, didn’t respond. His storm gray eyes remained fixed on the ground.

“We know them. They will love the baby unconditionally, and raise them to be a great person. The baby will have a great life with them.”

“We could too,” Sirius muttered.

“Maybe, but you can’t honestly say we’re prepared for something like this. Lily and James, they have a home, steady jobs, and… they’re happily married. We’re not even together.”

Sirius flinched at the last comment. “I know, Moony, I messed up. It didn’t mean… I’m sor—”

“We were never together so there’s nothing to apologize for. We’re just friends,” the scarred young man, Moony, cut Sirius off.

Sirius swallowed looking utterly guilty and miserable.

“But that doesn’t matter. What truly matters is the chance of the baby inheriting my furry little problem.”

“I don’t care about that,” Sirius insisted.

“I do! I can’t condemn my child to being a werewolf if there’s a chance to save them from it. This is the baby’s best chance not to get it,” Moony straightened his shoulders, and took a deep breath.

Sirius’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “You’re right.”  

“I know,” but Sirius missed the look of uncertainty that flickered across Moony’s features.

“Owl or Floo me if you need anything,” Sirius insisted.

“I will,” Moony nodded.

The two young men went their separate ways.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry Potter frowned as he glanced into the mirror.

Did his eyes look different?

Harry leaned closer.

He tilted his head slightly, and there it was. His eyes were definitely a lighter shade of green. Typically his eyes have always been a deep shade of emerald. But now they were definitely a shade lighter than they had been before. He wasn’t the most observant person but he was sure he would have noticed something like that.

“Admiring your own beauty, Potter?” Seamus teased as the Irish boy strode into the bathroom.

Harry jumped and whirled around. A warm flush spread across his cheeks at having been caught gazing at his own reflection so intently. At least Seamus didn’t seem to notice anything different about his eyes.

“Only those of us with true beauty could understand. So naturally you wouldn’t,” Harry teased back.

“I’ll have you know I’m the most beautiful Gryffindor of all,” Seamus proclaimed and made his way into the showers of the third year Gryffindor boy’s dorm.

Harry chuckled and once more returned to gazing at his reflection. He supposed it wasn’t that big of a deal, and if it got worse then he would ask Hermione or even go to Madam Pomfrey.

There were more important things for him to worry about at the moment then his eyes maybe being a shade of green lighter than they were supposed to be. A mad man was after him. Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban, and was after Harry. Black had already tried to break in to the Gryffindor dormitory on Halloween.

Then of course there were the dementors.

Even thinking about the dementors sent a shiver down his spine. His strong reaction to them had caused him to lose Gryffindor’s first match. He could have died when he’d fainted, and fallen from his broom. The only consolation he had was that Professor Lupin had agreed to teach him how to repel the foul creatures.

Harry left the bathroom behind. The other boys were still sleeping, and so he headed down to the common room on his own. There was hardly anyone in the common room and he headed out into the hallway to the library even though it was the last day before their holiday break. Having Sirius Black after him had made him decide that he needed to try harder and do better in school. He was even more determined after discovering Black’s betrayal of his parents.  

If Harry was being honest with himself in his first two years at Hogwarts he had allowed himself to coast, and had not pushed himself or applied himself. Now, he had come to realize just wrong he had been. Harry loved magic, and while books and studying weren’t exactly thrilling to him he had come to the realization that they were important. When he was first introduced to the wizarding world he’d had such a desire to know more, and Harry wasn’t sure when he’d gotten off track.

Professor Lupin had also had a bit of influence on Harry’s decision to try harder in his classes. The professor was without question the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor they’d had. Everyone thought so even the older years who had more professors to compare the wizard to.

Well, almost everyone. The only ones who didn’t like Professor Lupin were Malfoy and his cronies, and Snape. But Harry couldn’t care less about what they thought. Their opinions didn’t mean anything.

Professor Lupin made Harry want to answer the questions he asked in class. Harry found himself eager to do the readings and essays because he knew they would be completing the practical work in class. For the first time he found himself wanting to study, and he was pleased with how much easier it made his classes.

It pleased Hermione as well especially since she and Ron had been arguing. Ron didn’t like Crookshanks and believed the cat to be the source of Scabbers poor health. She enjoyed not having to nag him to do his homework anymore, and having someone to work with. The witch was also extraordinarily busy to have spared time to help Ron and Harry with their homework. She was taking every single elective available, and Harry honestly had no idea how Hermione was keeping up with all the work.

Harry was finding it hard enough to keep up with the two electives he’d chosen. Of course he’d had to complete some catch up work. After the first Divination class where Trelawney had predicted his death, and then McGonagall had subsequently informed him that such a thing was a common occurrence Harry had decided to see if he could switch out of Divination. He’d approached Professor McGonagall and the stern witch had only been too happy to help him switch into another class. The Divination Professor definitely wasn’t McGonagall’s favorite person.

Harry had decided to take Arthimancy in place of Divination at the suggestion of Professor Lupin. The two of them had been spending more time together since the incident with Harry falling off his broom. The professor had been surprisingly concerned, and even clearly suffering from some illness he had come to see Harry in the hospital wing. Professor Lupin also made the offer to teach him to repel dementors, however, he needed more time to recover from his illness before they started working on it.

But Professor Lupin had taken to inviting him to lunch on Sundays. It was very nice. The two of them talked about all kinds of different things. He was rapidly becoming the first adult Harry felt he could talk to about things. During their weekly luncheons Harry had told him about finding out about Sirius Black being his dad’s friend and his own godfather. Professor Lupin in turn had told him that he had once been a close friend of his parents and of Sirius Black.

From Professor Lupin he finally learned more about his parents. The scarred professor told him all sorts of stories from his years at Hogwarts with them. However, he was very careful to avoid mentioning Black. It was obvious the thought of the wizard who had once been his close friend turned mass murderer truly pained the shabbily dressed professor.

After spending his bit of extra study time in the library he headed off to breakfast. Today was the last day before holiday, and for many it seemed like the holiday had already started. Their classes mostly revolved around the professors assigning reading and essays.

The day passed quickly. Harry was focused on his classes, and ignored Malfoy’s taunting.

It was a relief when they were over. Hermione and he sat down to work on their holiday homework. Both Ron and Hermione were staying for the holiday break this year. But Hermione and he both wanted to get the bulk of their work done so that they could focus on other things during their time off. Ron begrudgingly joined them, and the redhead even managed to get several assignments finished.

“I think it’s very responsible of you, Harry, to spend more time on your assignments,” Hermione commented.

Harry shrugged. “I just want to learn how to protect himself,” and more recently how to get back at Sirius Black for betraying his parents. But he didn’t exactly want to admit that last part out loud.

“It would be nice to learn how to duel. Really duel, not whatever we did with Lockhart last year,” Ron grumbled.

“I know it was so exciting, and then it was such a disappointment when we didn’t learn anything,” Harry sighed.

Well, the school had learned he was a parselmouth but they didn’t actually learn how to duel. The disaster of the first dueling club prevented any further attempts.

“I’ve heard Professor Flitwick was a dueling champion,” Hermione chimed in.

“Why hasn’t he ever started a dueling club, then?” Ron wondered.

“I could ask Professor Lupin if Flitwick has ever had a dueling club. Maybe Professor Lupin would even start one.” The though was definitely pleasant one.

“That would be amazing!” Ron cheered.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Professor Lupin,” Hermione pointed out.

“Yeah, he was good friends with my parents, and he knows a lot of good stories about their school years,” Harry smiled at the memory of a particular story. It had involved Slytherins and a lot of glitter.

“That’s good that you have the chance to learn more about your parents,” Ron thumped him on the shoulder.

“Professor Lupin is also very intelligent and knowledgeable,” Hermione smiled.

“Of course that’s all you care about,” Ron rolled his eyes.

That set off another round of arguments between the two friends. Harry tuned them out. They had been arguing so frequently lately about their pets it was easy for him to just block out the sounds. He focused on finishing his homework while his two best friends argued.

Harry nearly got all of his holiday assignments completed. The only one he didn’t quite manage was Potions. Snape was being even more awful than he normally was, and Harry just needed time away from the subject that reminded him of the hateful man.

Over the break Harry was hopeful to spend more time learning some offensive spells. He’d been reading up on them a lot, and practicing the wand movements but he hadn’t yet found the time to put them into practice. He was even going to broach the subject with Professor Lupin, and was hopeful that the scarred professor would be able to help him practice.

 

///

 

Remus Lupin carefully arranged his table. Harry and he were going to share a holiday meal together. Truly it was just lunch. The two of them have been having lunch together every Sunday for the past couple of weeks. Remus still couldn’t help but feel this was a momentous occasion, and he wanted everything to be perfect.

It was the first holiday meal he would be sharing with his son after all. Well, the first Harry would remember.  

A knock at the door had him quickly moving to answer it. Just as expected, on the other side of the door was Harry Potter. The boy did look remarkably like James only with Lily’s eyes. For the hundredth or maybe thousandth time since the start of the school year Remus wondered what Harry looked like without the Familia Sanguini potion. But that thought was quickly shuffled to the back of his mind. He couldn’t let himself think like that.

Remus had made his choice years ago, no matter how much it had pained him. He had sworn to keep his distance even after James and Lily died. Remus was certain it was the right thing, the better thing for Harry. Lily’s sister and her husband would undoubtedly be better for Harry than he would have been. Lily and Petunia didn’t exactly get along but Lily had always been certain Petunia would have cared for her son if the occasion ever arose.

Remus had barely been able to look after himself after the war, after Black’s betrayal.

Besides that was only if Remus had actually been awarded custody of his own child. If he had come forward with his claim the Ministry would have demanded a test. The test would have revealed just who Harry’s other parent was. The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black may have gotten a lot of negative attention with Black and his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, being revealed as Death Eaters and thrown into Azkaban but they still had more influence and money than Remus did. They may have been dark wizards but they weren’t werewolves. There was a very large possibility Black’s parents or even his grandparents would have been awarded custody of Harry.

Remus hadn’t been willing to risk that. He also hadn’t wanted to risk the chance Harry might have the same affliction as himself. The decision had been the correct one as he had learned on his travels over the years that children who were carried by a werewolf always became werewolves with themselvse. The chance was less likely if Remus was the sire instead of the carrier.

Still he would have liked to visit Harry or even just send him letters but Dumbledore had insisted on no contact between Harry and the magical world. Remus didn’t exactly have a leg to stand on to push the matter. The only ones who knew the truth of Harry’s parentage were James, Lily, Remus, and Black. Two of those people were dead, and the other was a crazed murderer.

Remus had tried to send birthday and holiday cards to Harry in the name of just being a friend of his parents. He hadn’t even mentioned magic in any of the cards or letters. They had all been returned with Albus politely inquiring to not send any further letters to Harry. Remus still wrote cards, and by now had collected a small pile of gifts and letters that he had always hoped to one day give to Harry.

Remus had jumped at the chance of the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts. He’d tried to get in touch when Harry had started Hogwarts only to again be rebuffed on the bounds of letting Harry get settled into the wizarding world, and last year he’d had to move to the continent to find work. Remus was also eager to make sure Black didn’t harm a hair on Harry’s head.

Remus had been so eager to finally get the chance to meet his son. However, their encounter on the train had made him think twice. All of these years Remus had been thinking about Harry only for Harry to not even recognize him when they finally encountered one another. Of course Remus had deluded himself. Harry wouldn’t have recognized him. The last time he would have seen him was when Harry was barely a year old.

The jarring realization had Remus taking a step back, and not knowing how he should approach his son. But then Black had broken into the castle, and Harry had nearly died after a horde of Dementors descended upon the Quidditch game. Remus had been terrified, and realized he couldn’t keep his son at a distance anymore. He had to try and build some kind of relationship with his child before he completely ruined the possibility.

The plan had always been to tell Harry the truth. James, Lily, Black, and he had decided to tell him on his seventeenth birthday. Remus was planning on following through with that plan on his own.

“Hello, Harry,” he greeted his son warmly.

Harry beamed back. “Hello, Professor.”

“How have you been?” Remus asked while ushering the thirteen year old into his small kitchen.

“I’ve been good. What about you, Professor?” Harry asked in return.

“Very well, thank you,” Professor Lupin settled the two of them at his small kitchen table.

The table had already been set with two empty teacups, and a teapot. A plate of biscuits and sandwiches were also set on the small table. The two of them easily settled at the table. Remus quickly went about making a cup of tea. He passed the cup to Harry before making a cup of his own.

Harry took a sip of the tea, and smiled in bliss. “You always know exactly how I like my tea.”

Remus felt a pang in his chest, and before he could stop himself he found himself saying, “Your father took his tea like that.”

“Really?” Harry looked at him eagerly.

Remus instantly regretted his words. Harry, of course, thought he meant James. Why did have to say that? He shouldn’t even be thinking of Black as Harry’s father. The mad wizard certainly didn’t deserve the title after what he had done.

“Yes,” Remus murmured and quickly took a large bite from one of the chocolate biscuits to avoid saying anything further that he might regret.

Nonetheless, Harry looked pleased by his short response. Lily’s sister obviously hadn’t known a lot about James or their school years so Harry hadn’t grown up with stories about Hogwarts. The younger wizard was quite eager to hear more about them, and Remus was happy to tell them even with the challenge of avoiding mentioning Black in those stories. There were very few stories that didn’t involve Black in some way.

Remus carefully steered the question away from the past. Instead he asked about Harry’s holiday assignments. Remus was pleased to hear that Harry had nearly completed all of his homework for the break. He had learned that Harry hadn’t always had such a good work ethic, and Remus wanted to do whatever he could to encourage this change.

“That’s excellent, Harry,” Remus praised.

Harry flushed at the remark. “Thank you, sir.”

“You’ve been studying more haven’t you?”

“I have,” Harry nodded.

“Good for you. It is certainly noticeable. I’ve heard your marks have improved all around. Professor McGonagall has been singing your praises,” Remus smiled at him.

“I just decided to try harder this year, professor,” Harry shrugged, still looking equal parts embarrassed and pleased.

“A very good goal to have, Harry. I would be more than happy to discuss any theory or answer any questions you might have,” Remus offered.

“Thank you, Professor,” Harry smiled gratefully. “Actually could we practice some spells when we start working on how to repel Dementors? I’ve been studying a lot of different spells but I haven’t actually tested them yet. Do you think that’s something we could do together?”

“I would be happy to, Harry. I’m glad that you haven’t tried them on your own. If something went wrong you wouldn’t have someone else there to counteract the effects,” Remus would be happy to help Harry.

He had truly come to enjoy teaching and spending time with Harry. It also meant that the two of them would be able to spend even more time together. 

“Thank you, Professor!” Harry’s grin widened and his eyes shown behind the thick glasses.

Harry’s eyes caught the light, and for a moment Remus got a clear view of his eyes. Harry’s dark green eyes appeared to be a shade of green lighter than they had been in the past. It felt like his heart dropped into his stomach. It had to be a trick of the light. Remus didn’t actually just see what he thought he did. He couldn’t have. The Familia Sanguini didn’t just wear off.  

“Harry? Have you noticed anything different about your eyes?” Remus questioned carefully.

The younger wizard instantly froze dispelling any notion that Remus might just be seeing things. Harry had noticed something too.

“Yesterday, when I woke up I noticed my eyes had gotten lighter. Is there something wrong with me?” Harry worried.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Remus rushed to reassure the panicked boy.

Harry’s shoulders slumped in relief. “It’s normal then?”

“You haven’t noticed any other changes?” Remus leaned forward.  

“Er, no, I don’t think so. Or at least I haven’t noticed anything else,” Harry answered sheepishly.

Remus quickly let his eyes trail over Harry’s features.

Harry still mostly looked like James. But then James and Black had shared a few of the same features. The two of them could have passed as brothers. Black’s cheekbones were higher, and overall his features were more refined, more aristocratic. His skin had been paler. However, the shapes of their jaws and noses had been quite similar. They had both been handsome young men with Black’s more elegant features making him just a tad bit better looking. Black had physically been a bit larger than James. He was several inches taller than James and his shoulders had been a bit broader.

However, it wouldn’t matter how similar James and Black were. Harry as the child of Lily and James would look very different than Harry as the child of Remus and Black. The change in his eye color would be just the start of the Familia Sanguini failing. Harry could be in store for more changes, and unless Remus acted quickly he wouldn’t be able to hide Harry transforming into another person.

It should have been impossible. The Familia Sanguini was a potion that didn’t just wear off. Only the antidote could have removed it, and even that wouldn’t work once Harry turned seventeen and became an adult. The only substances Remus could think of that were powerful enough to remove the potion was the Elixir of Life, basilisk venom, or maybe even phoenix tears.

It was why he had been so adamant to use the Familia Sanguini despite its illegal nature. Remus believed it was the only thing powerful enough to possibly counteract the lycanthropy he had most likely passed on to his son. Harry couldn’t inherit his disease if he no longer shared any blood with Remus.

The Elixir of Life was no longer available. Harry would have died from an injection of basilisk even as it worked to destroy the potion in his blood. That left phoenix tears. Albus did have a phoenix but when would Fawkes have had an opportunity to cry on Harry? More importantly why would the phoenix have done such a thing?

Remus supposed the why of it didn’t matter at the moment. The only thing that did matter was that it was happening. The Familia Sanguini potion fading wasn’t something he had imagined happening even in his worst nightmare.

The fears that had surrounded him when he first discovered he was pregnant sprang back to the forefront of his mind. Except now it was worse. Black wasn’t some irresponsible prankster who couldn’t make a commitment to save his life anymore. He was a traitor and a murderer.

Black had pulled away from them after the decision to have Harry adopted by James and Lily. He still visited the Potters frequently despite being a bit secretive. No one ever would have expected him to turn Lily and James in. Remus never would have thought he’d put his own child in danger. He never thought the friend he’d known could have killed so many helpless muggles or one of their best friends in cold blood either but the evidence had been clear. Black had confessed, and Remus had done his best to bury all of the feelings he’d once held for the man.

“Professor, do you know why my eyes have changed?” Harry appeared uneasy.

Of course it could have been the fact that Remus had remained silent for a considerable length of time just staring at Harry.

Remus had to tell him the truth. He couldn’t risk the potion completely wearing off without Harry knowing the truth. The thought of telling Harry the truth terrified him.

“Harry…” Remus took a deep, fortifying breath. “I have to tell you something.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Harry…I have to tell you something.”

Harry had yet to hear the placid professor sound so serious. His light jade green eyes were intently staring into Harry’s own green eyes.

“What is it? What’s wrong with me?” Despite the professor’s earlier assurances that there wasn’t anything wrong with him Harry couldn’t help but think that there just might be something wrong considering the way Professor Lupin was acting.

“There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“What’s going on then? Why are you looking at me like that?” Harry insisted.

“What I am about to tell you, you can’t tell anyone else.”

“All right,” Harry agreed easily.

If it meant he got to know what had Professor Lupin so spooked he was willing to make that promise.

“As you know I was very good friends with James and Lily.”

Harry nodded.

“They were my best friends, and when I found myself pregnant—”

“Pregnant!?” Harry’s eyes shot wide.

Professor Lupin raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t know wizards could carry children?”

Harry shook his head.

“I suppose that’s not something they teach in classes, and being muggle-raised there wouldn’t have been an opportunity for you to learn of it. I just supposed Ron or one of the older students might have mentioned it to you.”

“Wizards can really have a baby?” Harry’s was fairly certain his eyes were going to pop right out of his skull at this point.

“They can. It’s most common in Purebloods with all of the creature blood mixed into their lines. However, Halfbloods like myself can also inherit the ability from their magical parents. Muggleborns are the only ones the ability never shows up in, which is often another reason for the more elitist Purebloods to discriminate against them,” Professor Lupin explained.

“Could _I_ have a baby?” Harry choked out. His face must have been as red as a tomato.

Professor Lupin chuckled at Harry’s horrified expression. “I don’t know. You can ask Madam Pomfrey to check if you’d like to know.”

“Right,” Harry wasn’t sure if that was something he wanted to know anytime soon so he turned the subject back to Professor Lupin. “Er, so you had a baby?”

“I did,” Professor Lupin nodded, smiling solemnly. “I have a son.”

“You do? Where is he?” Harry couldn’t help but be curious to know about Professor Lupin’s son. He was also a bit jealous if he was being honest. Professor Lupin was the first adult Harry had ever spent any length of time with who actually listened to him, and actually seemed to care about him. Harry didn’t want to share him, which was stupid really since he still barely knew the professor.

“When I found out I was pregnant I was terrified. I was single, and without employment. My parents were both dead. There was a terrible war going on, and I had a… condition which made everything worse.”

“What sort of condition?” Harry prompted when Professor Lupin hesitated. Harry’s mind flashed to how ill the professor had looked when they first saw him on the train, and then to how he’d missed classes from being sick.

Professor Lupin took a deep breath and then released it. “I’m a werewolf, Harry.”

Harry frowned. His mind was scrambling to remember all of the information that Snape had made them learn that day Professor Lupin had been ill.

Snape!

“Is that why Snape insisted we had to learn about werewolves that day you were ill?” Harry demanded.

The professor chuckled wryly. “Yes, I do believe it was his way of trying to get back at me for the incident with the Boggart.”

“It’s not your fault Neville’s Boggart was Snape. If anything it’s his fault that Neville’s so frightened of him,” Harry stated hotly.

Professor Lupin sighed. “Severus is not one to take insults perceived or real lightly. Our history with one another doesn’t exactly help either.”

“That’s right, you told me my dad and he didn’t get along.”

“They loathed one another. Severus wasn’t fond of me either. I don’t blame him for it. I never put a stop to the pranks, and I even helped,” Professor Lupin ran a tired hand down his face.

“Snape’s a git,” Harry grumbled.

“Harry,” Professor Lupin chided, but there was a small smile curling his lips.

“He is, there’s no reason for him to be so cruel to poor Neville. He doesn’t like any of the Gryffindors but he’s especially mean to Neville because he knows Neville won’t fight back,” Harry crossed his arms.

“That is very true,” Professor Lupin nodded in agreement. “It doesn’t bother you that I am a werewolf?”

“No, why would it?” Harry answered honestly.

The readings they’d done, and the things that the wizard raised children said made them out to be terrifying creatures. But they couldn’t truly be that terrible if Professor Lupin was one.

Professor Lupin’s eyes shone brightly, and he smiled softly. “Thank you, Harry.”

“Of course, Professor,” Harry assured him. “How did you become a werewolf, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“My father, Lyall, he angered a werewolf named Fenrir Greyback. Greyback was the leader of a large number of werewolves, and he was a supporter of Voldemort. He was utterly savage, a true monster. When wizards speak of vicious werewolves Greyback is the perfect example of them. He wanted revenge for my father’s insults. Greyback decided the best way to get revenge was to turn me, my father’s only child, into a werewolf. So Greyback attacked me.”

“How old were you?” Harry asked, eyes wide.

“I have been a werewolf since I was five years old. Dumbledore was the one who made it possible for me to come to Hogwarts. A werewolf never should have been able to attend.”

“Werewolves aren’t treated very well, are they?” Harry remembered that much from the readings. There were a lot of restrictions on them, and from what he had gathered there was an overall very negative opinion about them.

“No, Harry, they aren’t. This was why I had James and Lily adopt my son,” Professor Lupin stared directly into his eyes.

He blinked a few times, and stared at Professor Lupin. The scarred man’s words took a moment to sink in.

“My parents adopted your son. But that would mean…” Harry trailed off.

“Yes, Harry, you are my son,” Professor Lupin shifted his chair closer to Harry’s.

“I look like them,” Harry said uncertainly.

“When you were born we gave you a potion called the Familia Sanguini. It is a blood adoption potion, which essentially turns a child into the biological child of the two people who mix their blood into the potion. The Familia Sanguini is the most powerful adoption potion there is because it does not wear off, and changes the child irrevocably. The antidote is the only thing that can remove it, and only before a child turns seventeen. It is highly illegal. However, it was a chance I was willing to take.”

“Why? Why didn’t you want to keep me?” Harry wrapped his arms around himself.

“I wanted to. I truly wanted to. But I had to, to keep you from becoming a werewolf. I couldn’t bear the thought of passing on my affliction to my child. I couldn’t let you go through all of the pain and suffering of transforming and the discrimination you would face. I know intimately just how painful life as werewolf can be, both physically and emotionally. I couldn’t sit back and let the same thing happen to you if there was a chance I could you give a better life. I knew James and Lily would give you that.

“They were my closest friends. I knew they would love you and care for you. I would also be able to be part of your life. I could watch you grow up. I never thought Voldemort would go after them personally,” Professor Lupin was almost pleading with him.

“Why didn’t you take me after they died?” Harry questioned frantically.

“No one knew the truth. The adoption technically wasn’t an official adoption as we didn’t want to leave a paper trail. Only myself, James, Lily, and your… father knew the truth. By coming forward with the truth they would have given you the antidote, and you would have once more been condemned to life as a werewolf.”

“But you were their friend. Couldn’t you have taken me in even if you didn’t tell anyone you were my dad?” Harry looked at him uncertainly.

There were tears in the professor’s eyes. “I wish more than anything that I could have. There are a lot of restrictions on werewolves. More all the time it seems. I would never have been able to take custody of you without proving I was your birth parent. If I did prove you were my son your father’s family had more of a chance of gaining custody of you than I did. But never for a moment believe that I did not want you. I loved you, Harry, and I love you still. You are such a kind, funny, and intelligent boy. I would be proud to call myself your father.”

Harry shifted uncomfortably, and blinked away the sudden moisture in his eyes. “Why didn’t you come to visit me when I was growing up?”

“I tried, many times. I even wanted to send letters. But Albus thought it was better if you didn’t have any contact with anyone from the magical world.”

“And after I knew about the wizarding world?”

Professor Lupin ran a hand across his face. “I did try but Albus thought it was better to let you get settled in your first, and in your second year I was forced to take work abroad. When I started here I thought it was finally my chance to get to know you. But then I realized I’d waited too long. You didn’t know who I was. You wouldn’t have even remembered me from when I used to visit you with James and Lily. You had Lily’s sister’s family. Albus said you were happy, and I didn’t want to ruin that happiness.”

“You wouldn’t have,” Harry said fiercely.  

It seemed Professor Lupin, his birth father (or was it mother?), was under the impression Harry had been treated splendidly by the Dursleys. Would things have been different if Professor Lupin knew the Dursleys didn’t care about him?

Professor Lupin smiled warmly at him. “Thank you, Harry, I appreciate that. And for what it’s worth I do apologize. I should have tried harder to see you. I regret not trying harder.”

Harry just nodded not really sure what to say. He wished Professor Lupin had tried harder to see him as well. Harry wondered why Dumbledore had insisted Professor Lupin couldn’t visit him when he was growing up with the Dursleys. Why did he have to be so isolated from the wizarding world growing up that even his parents’ close friend couldn’t visit him?

“I’m glad you told me,” Harry smiled.

“We were going to tell you when you turned seventeen,” Remus confessed.

“Why did you tell me now then?” Harry’s brow crinkled.

“Your eyes are a lighter green than Lily’s now. In fact they more closely resemble my own green. It must mean the Familia Sanguini is wearing off; although, I don’t see how. It shouldn’t be possible. The only thing that should remove it is the antidote. Unless, you’ve been exposed to the Elixir of Life, basilisk venom, or phoenix tears,” Professor Lupin said the last part jokingly.

“Well… I mean I’ve held the Philosopher’s Stone but I’ve never had the Elixir of Life. At the end of the last school year I was bitten by a basilisk.”

“You were what!?” Professor Lupin nearly fell out of his chair, and his face had gone unnaturally pale. The scars on his face stood out starkly.

“It was fine, Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes, cried on it so I was completely fine,” Harry rushed to reassure the man.

It didn’t seem to reassure Professor Lupin in the slightest, and it took him several long minutes to collect himself from his shocked terror. “How did you survive? How were you even bitten in the first place?”

“Well, it all started…” Harry proceeded to tell Professor Lupin all about his second year starting the trip to Diagon Alley all the way through to his confrontation with Lucius Malfoy.

Professor Lupin’s face had gone from pallid to a shade of sickly green once Harry got to the events in the Chamber of Secrets.

“I can’t believe it,” Harry’s professor turned father mumbled.

“It really did happen. You can ask Dumbledore.”

“Oh, I’ll ask him about it. But it’s not that I don’t believe you, Harry. I just can’t quite believe you had to face not only a basilisk but also Voldemort’s memory all on your own. I’m so glad you’re all right,” Professor Lupin laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.  

Harry felt a rush of warmth at the gesture. “I was exposed to basilisk venom and phoenix tears so does that mean the potion is going to wear off?”

“I can’t know for certain as I don’t think there has ever been a case quite like yours. I simply know that basilisk venom or the phoenix tears would be a strong enough substance to flush the potion from your system. When combined together they would surely be strong enough to remove the potion. The potion is clearly breaking down. Your eyes are changing, and if I look closely I can see a change in your features. I can only make an educated guess that it will continue to degrade until you are in the form you were born in or it may just happen suddenly and all at once. After all it’s been months since you were exposed and the changes are only occurring now. It’s impossible to know.”

“What are we going to do then? Can you give me another dose of the Familia Sanguini?”

“Unfortunately, no I cannot. As I said the potion is illegal so we cannot buy it. It is also very difficult to brew, and the ingredients are difficult to obtain. Lastly, we no longer have James and Lily’s blood. I never wanted you to share my fate but it looks like there is no other choice. I am so sorry,” Professor Lupin looked completely distraught.

“But I might not be a werewolf right? We don’t know for certain.”

“I carried you, Harry, and as I’ve learned in my years of travel a child carried by a werewolf always becomes a werewolf. You would have only survived my transformations while I was pregnant if you were a werewolf too.”

“Oh,” Harry murmured, uncertain about how he felt about becoming a werewolf.

Not only was he a werewolf but he was also going to turn into a different person. It was utterly insane but essentially that was what was going to happen. Harry wasn’t the natural son of James and Lily Potter. He was Professor Lupin’s son with some unknown wizard. Harry hadn’t quite gotten the chance to ask who his other parent was yet with all the other things he’d needed to learn. But either way he was going to change. Physically he wouldn’t be Harry Potter anymore.

Harry supposed he should have been more upset about the fact that his parents weren’t his real parents. But he wasn’t. James and Lily had chosen to become his parents, and they loved him. He was sad he hadn’t gotten to know them, and grateful to them for saving his life. However, now he’d discovered at least one of his parents was still alive, and he had a real chance to get to know them.

Maybe he should have been more upset about the adoption. But again he wasn’t. Harry could feel that Professor Lupin was being honest with him. Professor Lupin cared about him. He had done what he had to protect him, and from the little Harry knew about the way werewolves were treated he was glad. If the whole world knew he was a werewolf Harry wouldn’t have been able to come to Hogwarts.

“It’s a lot to take in, in a short amount of time,” Professor Lupin’s eyes were filled with concern.

“I’m fine,” Harry rushed to reassure. “What are we going to do? The blood adoption potion is going to wear off, and people are going to notice if I start looking like a completely different person.”

“It will most likely be the best option to give you the antidote rather than risk it wearing off in the middle of a class or in the Great Hall. We’ll have to do it as soon as possible. I will construct a glamour. It will be a rather rudimentary one on such short notice, and I haven’t done one in ages. However, I think I’ll be able to attach one to a piece of jewelry that will prove effective. A ring would probably be the best option. You can wear it every day, and it’s less likely to break or fall off,” Professor Lupin was murmuring.

“A glamour?” Harry questioned.

“Glamour spells are rather advanced appearance altering charms. However, they’re only superficial. They don’t physically alter a person like a Transfiguration would. They are illusions and only capable of deceiving a person’s sight. They won’t stand up to the other senses, and are easily detected by most wards. If I tie the glamour charm to something you can wear all of the time like a ring the illusion won’t fade. I will have to continuously reapply the Charm to the ring as they don’t last very long but it should be a suitable solution for now,” Professor Lupin easily fell back into his role as a teacher.

“When should I take the antidote?” Harry wondered.

“As I said, the sooner the better. We can’t risk the potion unraveling in front of others. I have a vial of the antidote. We had one made just in case when James and Lily adopted you. It’s in my vault at Gringotts. I can pick it up tomorrow afternoon, and I should be able to construct the glamour by then as well. I’ll need the most recent picture of you that you can get.”

“I’ve got one. I have a lot of pictures that Colin Creevey has taken of me,” Harry was a little surprised at how quickly everything was going to happen. But he supposed Professor Lupin was right, the sooner the better.

“He certainly is fond of photographing you,” Professor Lupin chuckled.

“I actually think it’s a little better than it was last year,” Harry mused. “I can bring the picture to you later tonight?”

“That would be perfect,” Professor Lupin smiled at him.

The two of them sat for a moment each of them lost in their own thoughts. Professor Lupin was certainly correct in that there was a lot for Harry to take in. There were so many other things Harry wanted to ask almost too many things that he didn’t know where to start. This was especially true when he had yet to fully process the information he’d been given.

“Are you all right, Harry?” Professor Lupin questioned.

“Yes, professor, like you said there’s a lot to take in. I’m sure I’ll have a ton of questions for you later,” Harry smiled at him.

“Feel free to call me Remus, Harry, when we’re in private. You are also more than welcome to ask whatever you’d like, and I will do my best to answer it.”

“Thank you, prof—Remus,” the name tripped off the end of Harry’s tongue.

The answering smile Harry received was brilliant.

The rest of their lunch passed a bit in a daze. A weight seemed to have lifted from Professor Lupin’s, now Remus, shoulders. The calm professor was remarkably jovial, and there was a spark in his eyes as they talked about trivial things.

“I’ll come back with the photo later,” Harry said after they’d finished their lunch.

Harry was reluctant to leave after finding out something quite so momentous.

“I’ll see you then,” Remus reached out to squeeze his shoulder.

The touch was all Harry needed to throw himself at the man. His arms wound themselves around Remus’s torso, and clutched him tightly. It didn’t take long for Remus to wrap his own arms around Harry. He sank into the embrace. Harry couldn’t remember the last time an adult had hugged him. Well, it was most likely Mrs. Weasley.

There was something about hugging Remus that felt different. There was something about him that naturally put Harry at ease, and a part of him just wanted to curl into the wizard’s fluffy sweater and never leave.

Remus’s hand carded through his hair. “I’m going to do whatever I can to help you through this, Harry. I will be here for you the way I always should have been. I love you. I always have.”

Harry gripped him even tighter, and did his best to choke back the tears that had welled up in his eyes.

“It’s okay, love,” Remus kindly wiped away his tears.

There were tears in the man’s own green eyes, and Harry knew there was no way he could doubt that Remus cared about him.

When Harry had collected himself enough he said his goodbyes, and made his way back up to the tower. He was glad that Ron and Hermione were distracted. He just wanted to be by himself for a little while. He was able to curl up in his bed, and look through the photo album Hagrid had given him of his parents. There were a lot of pictures that contained a young Remus Lupin. Harry hadn’t ever noticed before just like he had never noticed Sirius Black. There were even a couple of just Sirius Black and Remus. Their arms were around each other, or Black was making silly faces while Remus smiled softly.

It was hard to believe Black would go on to be a murderer.

Harry passed on the photo of himself to Remus after dinner. But he didn’t stay and talk. Harry was embarrassed enough about how he’d cried on him earlier.

Harry went to sleep that night with visions of what tomorrow might bring.


End file.
